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That mass of wires and cables under your desk doesn’t have a name, although some of the more waggish suggestions I’ve heard are corducopia, quagwire, and nerdnest. In the end, though, it doesn’t much matter because let’s face it:
wires are so last century. Wireless is the way to go, and chances are your Mac is already configured to use a wireless technology called Bluetooth. In this chapter, I cover what Bluetooth is; how to set up your Mac with Bluetooth;
how to connect your Mac with various Bluetooth devices such as a mouse, keyboard, headset, and cell phone; and how to configure your Mac’s Bluetooth capabilities.
Finding Your Bluetooth Connection . . . 28
Adding a Bluetooth Adapter . . . 29
Working with Bluetooth Devices. . . 30
Exchanging Files Using Bluetooth . . . 37
How Do I Connect My
Mac with Bluetooth
Devices?
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Adding a Bluetooth Adapter
If your Mac doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth, you can still get in on the action by installing a separate Bluetooth adapter. There are only two requirements:
Your Mac must have a free USB port, given almost all external Bluetooth adapters are USB devices.
Your Mac must be running OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) or later. OS X 10.1 and OS 9 don’t offer Bluetooth support.
Most Bluetooth adapters are small devices that look similar to the D-Link DBT-120 shown in Figure 2.3.
Finding Your Bluetooth Connection
In the same way that your Mac must have a wireless network adapter installed to use Wi-Fi, so too must your Mac have a Bluetooth adapter installed to make Bluetooth connections. Fortunately, all recent Macs come with built-in Bluetooth, including the latest models of the iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook,and MacBook Air.
Until recently, Bluetooth was an optional com- ponent with the Mac Pro, but the latest mod- els now come with Bluetooth installed. Note, too, that all Macs running OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) or later can get in on the Bluetooth thing by installing a Bluetooth adapter in a free USB port.
How can you tell whether your Mac supports Bluetooth? Look for the Bluetooth status icon in the menu bar, as shown in Figure 2.1.
If you don’t see the icon there, click the System Preferences icon in the Dock and look for the Bluetooth icon in the Internet & Wireless sec- tion of the System Preferences window, as shown in Figure 2.2.
Bluetooth status icon
2.1 If your Mac has built-in Bluetooth, you usually see the Bluetooth status icon in the menu bar.
2.2 If your Mac is Bluetooth-capable, you see the Bluetooth icon in the System Preferences window.
You’re probably familiar with Wi-Fi, the standard that enables you to perform networking chores without the usual network cables. Bluetooth is similar in that it enables you to exchange data between two devices without any kind of physical connection between them. Bluetooth uses radio frequencies to set up a communications link between the devices. That link is another example of an ad hoc wireless network that you learned about in Chapter 1, only in this case the network that Bluetooth creates is called a piconet.
Bluetooth is a short-distance networking technology, with a maximum range of about 33 feet (10 meters). You can use your Mac’s Bluetooth capabilities to make connections with a wide variety of devices, including:
A Bit of Bluetooth Background
•
Another Bluetooth-enabled Mac•
Mouse (such as Apple’s Wireless Mighty Mouse)•
Keyboard (such as Apple’s Wireless Keyboard)•
Headset•
Cell phone•
Personal digital assistant•
Printer•
Digital cameraThe Bluetooth name comes from Harald Bluetooth, a tenth-century Danish king who united the provinces of Denmark under a single crown, the same way that, theoreti- cally, Bluetooth will unite the world of portable wireless devices under a single stan- dard. Why name a modern technology after an obscure Danish king? Here’s a clue:
Two of the most important companies backing the Bluetooth standard — Ericsson and Nokia — are Scandinavian.
Note
2.3 The D-Link DBT-120 is a typical Bluetooth adapter.
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least a bit of further ado (and sometimes plenty of it). This usually takes one or both of the follow- ing forms:
Making your device discoverable. Unlike Wi-Fi devices that broadcast their signals constantly, most Bluetooth devices only broadcast their availability when you say so.
This makes sense in many cases because you usually only want to use a Bluetooth device such as a mouse or keyboard with a single computer. By controlling when the device is discoverable, you ensure that it works only with the computer you want it to.
Pairing your Mac and the device. As a security precaution, many Bluetooth devices need to be paired with another device before the connection is established. In most cases, the pairing is accomplished by your Mac generating an 8-digit passkey that you must then type into the Bluetooth device (assuming, of course, that it has some kind of keypad). In other cases, the device comes with a default passkey that you must type into your Mac to set up the pairing. Finally, some devices set up an automatic pairing using an empty passkey.
Connecting a Bluetooth device
Using wireless devices is a blissful state because, with no cord to tie you down, it gives you the freedom to interact with your Mac from just about anywhere. Wi-Fi devices are often cumbersome because they require a separate transceiver, and these tend to be large and take up a USB port. If your Mac already has Bluetooth, however, you don’t need anything else to use a Bluetooth- compatible device.
Follow these general steps to connect a Bluetooth device:
1. Click the Bluetooth status icon in the menu bar, and then choose Set up Bluetooth Device. The Bluetooth Setup Assistant appears and starts looking for nearby Bluetooth devices.
Insert the Bluetooth adapter in a free USB port and your Mac should immediately recognize the new device and awaken the previously dormant OS X Bluetooth features. (You can confirm this by using the techniques I mentioned in the previous section.) You can now connect with other Bluetooth devices.
Working with Bluetooth Devices
In theory, connecting Bluetooth devices should be criminally easy: You turn on each device’s Bluetooth feature — in Bluetooth jargon, you make the device discoverable — bring them within 33 feet of each other, and they connect without further ado. In practice, however, there’s usually at
Bear in mind these points when you’re shopping for a Bluetooth adapter for your Mac:
•
Most Bluetooth adapters are priced between $15 to $35 at online retailers such as NewEgg.com and Amazon.com, and there’s really no reason to spend any more than that.•
Bluetooth data transfers aren’t particularly fast, but to ensure maximum speed you need to get an adapter that supports Bluetooth 2.1, which is about three times faster than Bluetooth 1.2 or 1.1.•
There are adapters with extended ranges of up to 100 meters (330 feet), but these are usually more expensive, and it’s almost always not worth the extra bucks. Bluetooth is meant for short-range connections.•
To ensure a quality product, stick with the major manufacturers, including ASUS, D-Link, GWC, IOGEAR, Linksys, Micro-Star International (MSI), SMC Networks, and TRENDnet.Bluetooth Adapter Buyer’s Guide
When you’re researching Bluetooth adapters, pay close attention to the operating system support. Some adapters only work with Windows, and some Mac-friendly adapters require a later version of OS X (for example, the D-Link DBT-120 requires OS X 10.3 [Panther] or later).
Caution
You can also choose System Preferences➪ Bluetooth to open the Bluetooth win- dow, and then click Set Up New Device. If the Bluetooth window shows that you already have at least one Bluetooth device set up, you start the Bluetooth Setup Assistant by clicking the Add (+) button below the device list.
Note
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2.5 To establish a pairing with some Bluetooth devices, you need to type a passkey on the device.
Configuring your Bluetooth device
When you connect a Bluetooth device, in most cases you just go ahead and start using it. However, your Mac gives you a limited set of options for working with your Bluetooth device. For example, you can monitor the battery levels of these devices. To do this, click the Bluetooth status icon in the menu bar, and then click the device with which you want to work. As you can see in Figure 2.6, the menu that appears includes an item that shows the current battery level. (You can also use this menu to open the device’s preferences or disconnect the device.)
If you use multiple Bluetooth devices of the same type, the list of Bluetooth devices can get con- fusing because you don’t have any direct way to tell one device from another. To avoid this, you can often give your devices unique names (although not all Bluetooth devices support renaming).
Here are the steps to follow to rename a Bluetooth device:
2. Perform whatever steps are required to make your device discoverable.
l Apple Magic Mouse or Mighty Mouse. On the bottom of the mouse, slide the power switch off and then on again.
l Apple Wireless Keyboard. Press the power button, which is on the right side of the keyboard at the top.
3. In the Devices list, click the device you want to pair, as shown in Figure 2.4.
2.4 When the Bluetooth Setup Assistant discovers a Bluetooth device, it displays the device name.
4. Click Continue. Your Mac connects with the device. When your Mac connects with a device that requires a passkey for pairing, the Bluetooth Setup Assistant displays the passkey, as shown in Figure 2.5. Use the Bluetooth device to type the passkey. If the device is (or has) a keyboard, be sure to also press Return.
5. Click Quit and you are ready to use your Bluetooth device.
When your Mac wakes from sleep mode, the Bluetooth mouse doesn’t always respond right away. Wait a few seconds (usually no more than about 10 seconds) to give the mouse time to reestablish its pairing with your Mac. Sometimes clicking the mouse helps it to reconnect right away.
Note
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3. Click the device you want to work with.
4. Click the Actions button (the gear icon) and then click Rename. System Preferences displays a text box.
5. Type the new name and then click OK. System Preferences updates the device’s name.
This name is stored on the device itself, so you’ll see this name even if you pair the device with another computer.
Working with a Bluetooth headset
If you want to listen to music, headphones are a great way to go because the sound is often better than with the built-in Mac speakers, and no one else around is subjected to Led Zeppelin at top volume. Similarly, if you want to conduct a voice chat, a headset (a combination of headphones for listening and a microphone for talking) makes life easier because you don’t need a separate micro- phone and at least one half of your conversation remains private. Add Bluetooth into the mix, and you’ve got an easy and wireless audio solution.
Using Bluetooth headphones for sound output
Because when you connect Bluetooth headphones your Mac doesn’t automatically use them as the default sound output device, if you want to listen to, say, your iTunes library without disturb- ing your neighbors, then you need to configure your Mac to use your headphones as the sound output device. Here’s how:
1. Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock. The System Preferences window appears.
2. Click the Sound icon. The Sound preferences appear.
3. Click the Output tab, and then select your Bluetooth headphones from the list, as shown in Figure 2.8.
4. Adjust the other sound settings as desired.
2.6 Click the Bluetooth icon, and then click the device to see its current battery level.
1. Click the Dock’s System Preferences icon. The System Preferences window appears.
2. Click the Bluetooth icon. The Bluetooth preferences appear (see Figure 2.7) and you see a list of the Bluetooth devices that are currently paired (the device status shows as Connected) or that were paired in the past (the device status shows as Not Connected).
2.7 The Bluetooth section of System Preferences displays a list of your Bluetooth devices.
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2.9 For voice chats, choose your Bluetooth headset in both the Microphone and Sound output lists.
2.8 To keep your iTunes to yourself, select your Bluetooth headphones as your Mac’s sound output device.
Setting up a Bluetooth headset for voice chat
If you love to chat, typing messages back and forth is a fun way to pass the time. However, if you want to take things up a notch, then you need to use iChat’s voice chat capabilities, which enable you to have voice conversations with your buddies. When you connect to a Bluetooth headset, your Mac usually sets up the headset as the voice chat microphone, but it usually doesn’t set up the headphones as the sound output device. Follow these steps to configure voice chat to use your Bluetooth headset:
1. Click the Dock’s iChat icon and choose iChat ➪ Preferences from the menu that appears.
2. Click the Audio/Video tab.
3. Select your Bluetooth headset from the Microphone and Sound Output lists, as shown in Figure 2.9.
If your buddies often tell you to stop shouting, even though you’re using your nor- mal voice, you’ll need to make a quick volume adjustment. In the Audio chat win- dow, you can click and drag the volume slider to the left. To set the global volume level, choose System Preferences ➪ Sound, and then click the Input tab. Click and drag the Input volume slider to the left to reduce the volume.
Genius
Exchanging Files Using Bluetooth
If you have a Bluetooth device that can work with files such as documents, music, and images, or data such as appointments and addresses, you can exchange files between your Mac and the Bluetooth device. Bear in mind, however, that this is useful only for small files. Bluetooth isn’t the
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2. Choose File ➪ Browse Device. You can also press Shift+Ô+O. The Browse Device dialog appears and displays a list of available Bluetooth devices, as shown in Figure 2.10.
2.10 The Browse Device dialog displays a list of nearby Bluetooth devices.
3. Click the device you want to browse.
4. Click Browse.
5. Pair your Mac and the Bluetooth device.
l In some cases, the Bluetooth device will generate or ask you to enter a passcode, and your Mac then prompts you for the passcode, as shown in Figure 2.11. Type the pass- code and click Pair.
2.11 You see this dialog if the Bluetooth device generates a pairing passcode.
fastest technology out there, so these transfers can be glacially slow. Small items such as addresses and appointments transfer reasonably fast, but it can take a few minutes to transfer a single MP3 file. Still, if you have no other way to transfer data, Bluetooth will do in a pinch.
You can either transfer files from your Mac to a Bluetooth device using your Mac’s Bluetooth File Exchange utility or from a Bluetooth device to your Mac by activating and configuring your Mac’s Bluetooth Sharing feature.
Making sure your Mac is discoverable
If you want other Bluetooth devices to see your Mac and initiate pairings or other operations such as cell phone remote control, then you need to make sure not only that your Mac’s Bluetooth power is on, but also that your Mac is discoverable. Follow these steps:
1. Open the Bluetooth preferences.
l Click the Bluetooth status icon in the menu bar, and then choose Open Bluetooth Preferences.
l Click the Dock’s System Preferences icon and then click Bluetooth.
2. Turn on the Bluetooth power.
l OS X 10.5 and later. Select the On check box.
l OS X 10.4 or earlier. Click the Settings tab and, if the Bluetooth Power setting is cur- rently Off, click Turn Bluetooth On.
3. Make your Mac discoverable.
l OS X 10.5 and later. Select the Discoverable check box.
l OS X 10.4 or earlier. Click the Settings tab and then select the Discoverable check box.
Browsing a Bluetooth device
When you browse a Bluetooth device, you examine the contents of the device and, optionally, get one or more files from the device. You do this using the Bluetooth File Exchange utility; follow these steps:
1. In Finder, choose Applications ➪ Utilities ➪ Bluetooth File Exchange. If you see the Select File to Send dialog, click Cancel.
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the previous two sections. For cell phones, PDAs, and other file-friendly devices, connect them to your Mac and initiate the browsing or sending from there.
You must activate and configure your Mac’s Bluetooth Sharing feature. This feature enables other Bluetooth devices to connect to your Mac, specifies what those devices can see and do, and also determines whether pairing is required to browse or send files to your Mac. How you do all this is completely different in Leopard and Snow Leopard than it is in earlier versions of OS X, so I cover the steps separately.
The Leopard and Snow Leopard steps required to activate and configure Bluetooth Sharing are as follows:
1. Click the Dock’s System Preferences icon and then click Sharing.
2. Select the Bluetooth Sharing check box to turn on the Bluetooth Sharing feature, as shown in Figure 2.14.
2.14 Select the Bluetooth Sharing check box, and then use the other controls to configure this feature.
l Other Bluetooth devices require only simple permission for pairing, as shown in Figure 2.12. Click Allow to initiate the pairing.
6. In the Browsing dialog that appears, double-click the folders to get to the one you want to view. If you want to download a file to your Mac, click the file, click Get, as shown in Figure 2.13, select a location, and then click Save.
Sending files to a Bluetooth device
If you’ve got some data you want to share with a Bluetooth device, the Bluetooth File Exchange utility is only too happy to help you do it. Here’s how it works:
1. In Finder, choose Applications ➪ Utilit ies ➪ Bluetooth File Exchange. If you don’t see the Select File to Send dialog right away, choose File ➪ Send File. You can also press Ô+O.
2. Choose the file you want to upload and then click Send. The Select
Bluetooth Device dialog appears and displays a list of waiting devices.
3. Click the device you want to use.
4. Click Send. The Bluetooth File Exchange attempts to connect with the device. Use the device interface to accept the incoming file.
Activating Bluetooth sharing
The Bluetooth File Exchange utility is great for browsing and sending stuff to a Bluetooth device or to another Bluetoothed Mac, but what about the other way around? That is, what about getting a Bluetooth device to send things to your Mac? If the Bluetooth device is another Mac then, of course, you can crank up Bluetooth File Exchange on that computer and use the techniques from 2.12 You see this dialog if the Bluetooth device requires simple pairing permission.
2.13 Use the Browsing dialog to navigate the Bluetooth device’s folders and, optionally, download a file to your Mac.
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2.15 Use the Sharing tab to activate and configure Bluetooth Sharing.
5. Choose Bluetooth File Exchange in the list of services.
6. Configure your Mac to receive files.
l When receiving items. Use this list to determine what your Mac does when a Bluetooth device attempts to send a file. It’s usually best to choose Prompt for each file so you always have control over the transfer. If you never want files sent to your Mac, choose Refuse all instead.
l When PIM items are accepted. Use this list to determine what your Mac does when you accept incoming personal information management items such as contacts.
l When other items are accepted. Use this list to determine what your Mac does when you accept other files.
l Folder for accepted items. Use this list to choose the folder where files sent to your Mac are stored.
l Require pairing for security. If you select this check box, your Mac won’t allow a Bluetooth device to initiate a file transfer unless the two devices have been paired.
3. Configure your Mac to receive files.
l When receiving items. Use this list to determine what your Mac does when a Bluetooth device attempts to send a file. It’s usually best to choose Ask What to Do so you always have control over the transfer. If you never want files sent to your Mac, choose Never Allow instead.
l Require pairing. If you select this check box, your Mac won’t allow a Bluetooth device to initiate a file transfer unless the two devices have been paired.
l Folder for accepted items. Use this list to choose the folder where files sent to your Mac are stored.
4. Configure your Mac for browsing.
l When other devices browse. Use this list to determine what your Mac does when a Bluetooth device attempts to browse the Mac’s file. Again, it’s best to choose Ask What to Do so you always have control over the browsing. If browsing isn’t a problem for you, you can avoid being pestered by choosing Always Allow instead. If you never want Bluetooth devices to browse your Mac, choose Never Allow.
l Require pairing. This check box is selected by default, which means your Mac won’t allow a Bluetooth device to browse unless the two devices have been paired.
l Folder others can browse. Use this list to choose the folder that Bluetooth devices can browse.
The OS X 10.4 or earlier steps required to activate and configure Bluetooth Sharing are as follows:
1. Click the Dock’s System Preferences icon and then click Bluetooth.
2. Click the Sharing tab, as shown in Figure 2.15.
3. Choose Bluetooth File Transfer in the list of services.
4. Configure your Mac for browsing.
l Start. Click this button to start the Bluetooth File Transfer service. (You can also select the On check box beside Bluetooth File Transfer in the list of services.)
l Folder other devices can browse. Use this list to choose the folder that Bluetooth devices can browse.
l Require pairing for security. Select this check box to allow a Bluetooth device to browse your Mac only when the two devices have been paired.
